Archive for the ‘Guest Article’ Category

Michael Kiwanuka‘s much anticipated debut album, Home Again, is out now via Communion Records. Beyond a year or two of underground gigs, highly sought after EPs, radio appearances and a handful of accolades, the album is here.

Most reviews for this album start either with the words ‘neo-soul’ or ‘BBC Sound of 2012’, but let us consider this without any of that baggage. We’re not here to necessarily review the man’s chances of success, we’re just here to say what we … [read more]

For those who may not yet be familiar with Gang Colours, let’s start with the introductions; Gang Colours is the artist name for Will Ozanne, a young producer from Southampton, signed to Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings imprint, and it’s really not hard to see why the much-revered DJ fell in love with Ozanne’s music.

The first track on Gang Colours’ debut album, The Keychain Collection, is called Heavy Petting, and it’s the best opening to an album I’ve heard in years. It … [read more]

Portico Quartet‘s self-titled third album has finally landed via Real World Records, the label originally started by Peter Gabriel back in 1989.

The UK-based Portico Quartet, so named after inclement weather at an early gig called for a performance under a portico, return at the beginning of 2012 with a slight alteration in personnel. Nick Mulvey, who previously played Hang, the angelic Swiss instrument that gave distinction to Portico Quartet’s early material, has left to pursue solo projects, and is replaced by … [read more]

J*DaVeY‘s long awaited album, New Designer Drug, is finally here. Due for release on 22 November through their own ILLAV8R imprint (and not Warner), the album will actually come as a free download bundled with purchases of NDD: The Liner Notes.

Within the music industry all artists have their own area of expertise, from James Brown’s soul and funk to A Tribe Called Quest’s jazz infused hip-hop. Some artists, like the darlings of the LA new-wave scene J*DaVeY, have … [read more]

It’s a conundrum that’s faced producers since the dawning of the dance age. Scientists have poured over the problem (possibly), governments have invested billions into researching a solution (probably), but no conclusive agreement has been reached. So, just how do those who make music hidden away in bedroom studios, twiddling knobs and coaxing beats out of fried laptop processors, bring their toiled-over productions into the arena of live performance?! Fear not, Jus Like Music has the answer. Well, a few suggestions at least…

Young Camden native Kwesi Darko – aka Blue Daisy – has been teasing us over the last couple of years with scraps of intriguing and imaginative production, from the Flying Lotus jerk of Wolf to the floating Space Ex featuring LaNote, all hinting at what a full Blue Daisy album might sound like. Well now Blue Daisy, and the Black Acre label, have provided the answer with the recent release of his debut album The Sunday Gift.

Few hip-hop musicians command the loyalty and respect that 9th Wonder does and it may be this that colours some of the rhymes and skits on this album. Right from the off, there is a short intro discussing the idea of legacy and the lack of control that one has over such matters. But from there on follows a classic, sample-laden album … [read more]

It’s early on an overcast Saturday morning. I’m sitting on a train flicking through my well-worn cassette player when I find Glaswegian producer Hudson Mohawke‘s debut album Butter. Out on Warp on 26th October and a follow-up to the brilliant PolyFolk Dance EP, it must be one of the most anticipated records of 2009. So let’s not dilly-dally.

It’s been a while since the last volume of the Jus Like Music podcast, but this is hot off the press! It’s a special guest podcast from the incredible Apple Juice Break blog. I’ll let AJB explain…

AJB has done a number of podcasts, the last one with the label/brand GAS’D, which caught quite a buzz. This time we had the opportunity to make a mix for Gavin at Jus Like Music, a site we follow and love. The podcast is called A … [read more]